Bombs and Ballots: Governance by Islamist Terrorist and Guerrilla Groups [Hardcover]

Eventually, most terrorist and guerrilla groups are defeated by governments or gradually die off - sometimes becoming political parties, democratically participating in the non-violent governance of their states. Yet some terrorist and guerrilla groups maintain military capabilities, using violence and democratic participation simultaneously. Here, Krista E. Wiegand examines the different political strategies that Islamist terrorist and guerrilla groups use to achieve their political objectives. Focussing on Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Palestine, Wiegand skilfully reveals the factors that determine why Islamist militant groups become involved in governance as political parties, how mainstream governments may or may not accept them as legitimate, why some groups like al- Gama'a al-Islamiya in Egypt renounce guerrilla tactics, and how some groups govern whilst employing political violence. Bombs and Ballots is a valuable contribution to the study of state-society relations in the Middle East, exposing the blurred line between terrorist activity and governance.Using Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Palestine and the Mahdi Army in Iraq as primary case studies, Krista Wiegand skilfully reveals why these groups have become involved in governance, how mainstream governments accept or reject such groups, and how some terrorist groups and militias govern certain territories that are not under mainstream government control.Krista E. Wiegand is an Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, Georgia, USA'This perceptive study by Wiegand argues that movements using guerrilla/terrorist tactics can become legitimate political parties. ...This is a solid scholarly study. It is highly readable and accessible to a wide range of readers...The volume will occupy a significant place in the literature not just on Islamist movements but more broadly on political violence and democratization. Summing Up: Recommended. All readershiplG